Predicaments and other talents...
(Cold update) The little whippersnappers are on the way to recovery from their icky fierce virus after two long weeks. They're not quite back to sleeping in the cribs yet (still in the bouncy seats), still having a few coughing spells, a bit of a runny nose for Bri and wheezing for JT, but it's MUCH improved, no fevers and we have our smiling interacting babies back (just in time for the holiday fanfare). They were too sick last weekend to go and see Santa so we're going to try and fit it in tomorrow...
So in the meantime, here's a few pics of Bri and JT's predicaments they seem to get into when we aren't looking (I'm sure there will be plentymore in the future)..
JT has a talent for finding new and amusing uses for his binky and inventing binky holders when we aren't looking. See for yourself.
Mom what's this fish with a hole in the middle for?
Ahhh, its a binky holder!
And...
Who knew? My bib can also....
..double as a binky holder!
Bri has a talent for getting her extremities caught in circles. We're sure it's a special talent but we aren't quite sure for what yet. Any guesses?
Hey JT, what does "old ball and chain" mean?
And...
Hole in one, right daddy!?
Daycare and sickness
So the almightly DAYCARE has begun. Yes, the first week has come and gone and we are still feeling the effects. What effects you say? Well I can't blame it
entirely on daycare but let's just say, its hard enough to keep the household of a family with infant twins and two full-time working parents going, but try it with 4 sick people (YES, all four of us but that's not the worst part). The smaller two don't have just colds...UGH...This is one of those challenging twin parent weeks, for many reasons.
Things started relatively well at the beginning of the first week. Pumpkin had a mostly grand time with all the people and new things to look at while SweetPea gave daycare lady the evil eye for the first few days. It was all unsuspectingly calm until they came down with slight coughs by the end of the first week. Not that I didn't bring home any sick germs or anything but when daycare was suspiciously slightly more empty on Friday, it confirmed my fears that they would be sick by the end of the week. So far it didn't appear too bad through the weekend. Pumpkin had a slight fever Friday night and suspicious looking diapers but they were their merry-exhausted-from-daycare selves still sleeping relatively well through the weekend. I watched them all weekend as we took care of household chores, to get us geared up for the week. (Yes it takes all weekend to get laundry done, meals cooked and chores done to get us through the week) all while nursing my relatively minor cold-no fever, chills etc.. We even gave them their first taste of the rice cereal (just a bit due to their mild symptoms).
It was decided since I still had a cold, that I would stay home with the twins on Monday since I figured they would get more rest here to get over this thing. Then, chaos erupted in the Henry household by Monday morning. Daddy came down with aches, fever and looked like death warmed over him and Pumpkin and Sweetpea still weren't doing so hot either. So I took care of the three stooges in the household. Daddy wasn't allowed to move within a 10 foot pole of the kids because we still weren't sure what he had was the same as what they had and I didn't want them getting any fevers...(He had gone out in public on Sunday and may have picked up something).
Hubby's fever broke by the end of the day and he was feeling much better so he went in to work on Tuesday. But by the end of Tuesday, the kids cough was starting to turn into a wheezy hacking thing. And this is probably where you are wondering when I am going to take them into the doctor. Well, as it turns out we had our six month check-up scheduled for Tuesday. At the appointment, the doctor said it appears they have
RSV. In kids with no issues it usually develops as a cold, but in kids that are high risk (prematurity or respiratory/heart issues) it can develop into RSV brochiolitis or pneumonia. It's the ONE reason why I would not have put them in daycare initially if they had they been preemies. So while our babies weren't preemies and in the high risk category (they were 38 weeks and healthy), they ended up developing RSV brochiolitis anyway. Unfortunately they may have a higher chance of asthma now from developing this. UGH!
So Hubby and I have been scrambling the rest of this week to adjust work schedules and watch them at home. We'd been doing everything right for the "cold" and so we are continuing with keeping them upright (sleeping, sitting in bouncy seats and playing while sitting), using saline solution for noses, giving them bottled milk when they started to nurse poorly on Monday and tylenol for their fevers. For the wheezing, we also got some breathing treatments which includes a little mask to be placed on them with a misting machine attached that mists a solution of saline and albuterol. They are tolerating the mask well (it takes 5-10 minutes to use) and they calm down after we put it on and seem to know it will help them.
And I hate to admit it but all those cliches about how when it's your child sick (or your child whatever... ,just fill in the blank), it's much harder, but it's very true. It makes me so sad to see them crying, hear them wheezing or see them in their little masks for the treatment. As difficult as it is already to keep a house full of two infant twins running smoothly, its crazy how one little thing (or one big thing) can throw everything off. In the meantime, I'm dole-ing out lots of hugs and kisses for the sick ones hoping this gets better and not worse.
Two
(This was written a few weeks back (Oct 12th) while on my leave.)As a new parent, I am acutely aware that how I raise my children will affect who they become. And with twins, the question of "who was first?" is imminently hard to avoid. Overall I'm not concerned with who is doing what first. But with twins, it is so acutely obvious when one accomplishes something, it is clear whether or not the other one has only because they are learning the same skills at the same time. I watch daily as they each grow more curious about their surroundings and attempt to learn to negotiate their environment with trials and successes. Each is excelling at their own pace but learning similar things and each has their strengths and skills in certain areas, although this changes day to day: a testament to how each will eventually accomplish all skills needed in development in their own time. At this point in time (I'm sure it will change back and forth), Sweetpea is negotiating the movement realm by attempting rolling and Pumpkin is fine-tuning some killer fine motor skills like pulling his binky out of his mouth and putting it back in.
As a parent, I am making a concerted effort to avoid giving one more attention or more praise than the other or comparing by stating "he or she did this first.." but to phrase it as "she is doing 'x' and he is doing 'y". I now find each one looking at me quizzically (it's possible its all in my imagination at this early an age, but maybe not) when I pick the other one up for something and invariably give lots of hugs, kisses and praise. So I then find myself picking the other one up to bestow upon him/her hugs, kisses and praise as well. I hope to foster a sense that each is equally important and, of course, just use it as more of an excuse to give twice the hugs and kisses. I want to be sure that each knows I love them equally through my actions and words.
As they grow up at the same time, I hope they will not focus on comparing themselves to each other but, instead, discover their own strengths, some the same, some different but each no better than the other. I want them to learn to discover their own path in life, gain confidence in making their own choices and their ability to conquer life's challenges on their own time. I hope they realize that they will get there via only their own hard work and sometimes a little luck, not because the other one has and they also feel entitled to the same success. I hope most of all, that if one reaches his or her goal, they will celebrate their special bond by always celebrating and sharing in each others successes, whether one or the other is first. Because in the end, it's not about who is first but that they both accomplish what they want in life and have someone to share it with when they get there.
Mom what's this fish with a hole in the middle for?
Ahhh, its a binky holder!
..double as a binky holder!
Hey JT, what does "old ball and chain" mean?
